I 



ILLINOIS 



An Historical Resume 



BY 



HORACE H. BANCROFT 

Assistant Director Illinois Centennial Celebration 




PUBLISHED BY 

Illinois Centennial Commission 



[Printed by authority of the State of Illinois.] 



ILLINOIS 



An Historical Resume 



BY 



HORACE H. BANCROFT 

Assistant Director Illinois Centennial Celebration 




PUBLISHED BY 

Illinois Centennial Commission 



[Printed by authority of the State of Illinois.] 



F^rt 



Schnepp & Barnes, State Printers 

Springfield, III. 

1918. 

10844— 3M 



n. of D. 
UEC 23 1918 



An Historical Resume. 

THE Mound Builder, the Indian, the Spaniard, the Frenchman, the 
Englishman and the American have all held dominion over, or 
claimed title to the territory comprised within the boundary limit of 
Illinois. Speculation must largely suffice for our knowledge of that 
pre-historic race which we term the Mound-Builders. The Indian 
was discovered by the French missionary priest and explorer, and 
with the coming of the French we have the beginning of civilization 
in the Mississippi Valley. 

In 1673 Father Marquette and Louis Joliet sailed down the 
Mississippi and up the Illinois, and their advent marked the initial 
visit of the white man to the Prairie State. LaSalle, the empire 
builder, whose vision of a new France in the Western Hemisphere 
fell short of realization, but whose personality and character has 
left its impress for all time upon the history of the State, came in 
1679. His expedition led to the first permanent settlements. Tonty, 
the Italian, to whom is credited the discovery of coal in the new 
world, near the present town of Utica, in LaSalle County, accompanied 
LaSalle and shared with him the rigors and hardships of that early 
day. 

The French Occupation. 

The French occupation, by discovery and exploration, began in 
1673 and continued until 1765. In the latter year the country passed 
from French to English control. Little difference, however, occurred 
in the character or habits of the people, save that a French immi- 
gration took place on the part of many who preferred to live under 
Spanish, rather than British rule. . This was accomplished by merely 
crossing the Mississippi River. 

The French missionary priests, who were of the Jesuit and 
Recollect orders, conducted the earliest Christian services in Illi- 
nois. They began the establishment of missions in the territory and 
sought to give the Indians and scattered white population religious 
instruction. 

On the occasion of his first visit Father Marquette established 
a mission near Starved Rock, which he named the "Mission of the 
Immaculate Conception." This mission was afterwards removed to 
the site of the permanent Kaskaskia on the Mississippi River. Father 
Gravier came from Canada in 1688 and his labors extended from 
Mackinac to Biloxi on the Gulf of Mexico. In 1700 a mission and 
permanent settlement was established at Cahokia, a few miles distant 
from the present city of East St. Louis. Father Hennepin arrived in 
Illinois in 1680 and began the exploration of the Upper Mississippi, 
where he discovered the Falls of St. Anthony, which he named. 
Father Hennepin was closely associated wi^h LaSalle. 



George Rogers Clark Expedition. 

The English control was brief, lasting from 1765 to 1778. On 
July I, 1778, Col. George Rogers Clark, by a surprise attack, cap- 
tured Fort Gage in Kaskaskia and later captured Fort Vincennes in 
Indiana. He took possession of these forts in the name of the 
Colony of Virginia, as his expedition had been fitted out and aided 
through the influence of Patrick Henry, then governor of Virginia. 
The capture of these forts by Clark proved one of the most import- 
ant events in American history. When peace was declared in 1783 
the question of the territory west of the Allegheny Mountains was 
one of the disputed issues. Benjamin Franklin, one of the peace 
commissioners for the United States, sitting at the peace table, con- 
tended vigorously for the territory conquered by Clark. This territory 
was conceded by England to the colonies, and the Clark expedition 
thus becomes responsible for the western boundary of the colonial 
possessions at the close of the Revolutionary War, which boundary 
was marked by the Mississippi River instead of by the Allegheny 
Mountains. 

The territory conquered by Clark was first organized as the 
Illinois County of Virginia. Patrick Henry named Colonel John 
Todd, county lieutenant or commandant-in-chief, for the county. 
Later when the Ordinance of 1787 was passed, sometimes called the 
second Magna Charta, and containing that splendid declaration 
that, "Religion, Morality and Knowledge, being necessary to good 
government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of 
education shall forever be encouraged," the Illinois County of Virginia 
became a part of the great Northwest Territory. 

Pioneer Protestant Preachers. 

The pioneer Protestant preacher in Illinois was Elder James 
Smith, a Baptist minister, who came to New Design, now a part of 
Monroe County, in 1789. Rev. David Badgley and Rev. Joseph 
Chance followed in 1796, and tlie first denominational association 
was formed in 1807 by the Baptists. The Methodists were also 
among the first of the "Protestant sects to hold religious services in 
Illinois, and these were held in that part of the State known as the 
American Bottom in 1796. Peter Cartwright was one of the most 
widely known pioneer Methodist preachers. He was born in 178o 
and lived until 1872. He was a conspicuous figure at the early camp 
meetings and served two terms in the legislature. He was a zealous 
supporter of the government during the Civil War and for fifty 
years was a presiding elder in his denomination. In 1S14 the Mass- 
achusetts Missionary Society sent two missionaries to Illinois. In 
1816 the first Presbyterian church was organized at Sharon in 
White County by the Rev. James McGready of Kentucky. Seth 
Gard assisted Rev. James Pool in the organization of the Barney's 
Prairie church in 1819 which was the first church established by the 
Christian denomination. The Congregation alists began to arrive 
with the tide of immigration that set in from the east in the thirties. 
Tlie first Congregational church was organized at Mendon, in 



Adams County in 1833. Porter, Turner, Beecher, Sturtevant and 
Post were well known names among the Congregationalists. In 
1834 the first preacher of the Protestant Episcopal church arrived. 
This was Rev. Philander Chase, afterwards a bishop. 

New Design, in Monroe County, is also famous for the fact that 
the first American school teacher that ever appeared in Illinois, 
Samuel John Seely, settled there in 1783. 

The Issue of Statehood. 

Out of the Northwest Territory there was carved five states — 
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. The territorial 
history of Illinois began in 1809 when the president named Ninian 
Edwards territorial governor. For nine years Illinois continued as 
a territory. In 1818, the issue of statehood arose. There was esti- 
mated to be forty thousand people within the territory which was a 
sufficient number at that time for statehood. One of the first ques- 
tions to settle was the boundary limit of the proposed state. The 
territory of Illinois was represented at the time by Nathaniel Pope, 
as territorial delegate. In the bill for statehood it was proposed to 
mark the northern boundary as established by the Ordinance of 
1787. An amendment introduced by Pope changed the northern 
limits from an east and west line running through the southern ex- 
tremity of Lake Michigan to an east and west line parallel with 40 
degrees and 30 minutes. This amendment gave to the state terri- 
tory out of which was carved fourteen of the northern counties. 
Had the original provision remained in the bill, Illinois would have 
been one of the smaller states of the Union, territorially ; fourteen of 
the northern counties of the State would have belonged to Wisconsin ; 
Illinois would have been without a lake front and Chicago would 
have been in Wisconsin instead of Illinois. Nathaniel Pope de- 
serves the gratitude of Illinoisans for his stand in the matter of the 
boundary limits of the state. He wanted a part of Lake Michigan to 
bound the northern limits, as he believed some day, there would be 
built upon the shores of Lake Michigan a great city, and he wanted 
that city to be a part of Illinois. He declared that through the 
portals of this great city there would come to Illinois, the eastern 
people and the eastern civilization. Cairo and Shawneetown were 
the ports of entry in southern Illinois, for the people and civiliza- 
tion of the South. With an adequate port of entry on the North, 
there would meet on the prairies of Illinois, the best blood of the 
East and the South. With these two forces of American civiliza- 
tion within the state, one would act as a check upon the other, and 
in the event of a settlement of the issue of human slavery the State 
of Illinois would under all circumstances remain in the Union. 
How literally true was this vision of Nathaniel Pope. We do well 
to honor his memory in this Centennial Year. 

Constitutional Convention Held. 

The Enabling Act fixing the present boundary limits of Illinois 
was passed April 18, 1818. The next step in the process of state- 



'6 

hood required the calling of a Constitutional Convention. This Con- 
vention met August 3, 1818 at Kaskaskia. It was composed of 
thirty-three delegates. There were fifteen counties in the state at 
the time, twelve of these counties were given two delegates each, 
three of the counties three delegates each. The Convention or- 
ganized by electing Jesse Burgess Thomas, as chairman, and William 
C. Greenup as secretary. One of the dominant characters of the 
Convention was Elias Kent Kane, after whom Kane County was 
named, and a man who held many offices of trust and responsibility 
in the early history of the State. Jesse Burgess Thomas became one 
of the first United States senators, and is known in history as the 
author of the Missouri Compromise. The Convention completed its 
labors and adjourned August 26, 1818. 

Following the adoption of the constitution, election for state 
officers was held and Shadrach Bond became the first governor. He 
was inaugurated October 6, 1818 and proved a safe leader for the 
new regime. He is buried at Chester, Randolph County, where the 
state has erected a monument to his memory. On the monument is 
inscribed this tribute : "Governor Bond filled many offices of trust and 
importance all with integrity and honor." On December 3d, 1818, Illi- 
nois was admitted to the Union as a State. In 1820 the seat of gov- 
ernment was moved from Kaskaskia to Vandalia, which became the 
second capital of the State. 

Governor Edward Coles. 

The second governor was Edward Coles. He Avas a highly 
educated and cultured gentleman. He had been a slave holder, but 
freed his slaves as he crossed the boundary line of Illinois, coming 
from Virginia. In the early part of his administration, an effort was 
made to change the constitution, in order to legalize slavery. Gov- 
ernor Coles led the fight against this movement, with energy and 
courage, and prevented the calling of a second Constitutional Con- 
vention by the proponents of slavery in 1824. He was ably sup- 
ported by such men as Daniel P. Cook, after whom Cook County 
was named, Judge Samuel D. Lockwood, George Flower, Morris 
Birkbeck and others. To Governor Coles the people owe a great 
debt of gratitude for the fact that the stain of human slavery was 
kept from the fair record of Illinois. 

In the year 1825 the legislature of the new state passed the 
first free school law. This bill was introduced by Senator Joseph 
Duncan, afterwards Governor of the state. The year is also historic 
for the fact that General LaFayette then on a tour of the United 
States visited Kaskaskia on April 30th. 

Ninian Edwards was the third governor. He is described as a 
fine specimen of the "Old School Gentleman" of that period. He 
had been governor nearly all of the territorial period, was one of the 
first United States senators and was Minister to Mexico under Presi- 
dent Monroe. Hooper Warren, the pioneer printer, enjoyed the close 
friendship of Edwards. 



Period of the Black Hawk War. 

The only war to occur within the borders of Illinois was the 
Black Hawk War. This was in the early thirties, during the ad- 
ministration of Governor Reynolds. This war is remarkable for the 
fact that two men participated in it who afterwards became presi- 
dent — Zachary Taylor and Abraham Lincoln. Three men were of- 
ficers in this war who afterwards became governor — Ford, Carlin 
and Duncan. Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln first met in the 
Black Hawk War. Joseph E. Johnston and Albert Sydney Johnston 
participated in this war as did also General Winfield Scott. Major 
Anderson, who defended Fort Sumter, was a recruiting officer in 
this war. The Black Hawk War becomes interesting, therefore, 
because of the many participants, who at the time, or afterwards, 
became prominent. 

Governor Joseph Duncan. 

The fifth governor of Illinois was Joseph Duncan, governor 
from 1834 to 1838. It is said that more men of prominence entered 
public life during his administration than have ever entered in any 
similar length of time in the history of the State. Among the num- 
ber may be mentioned Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas ; 
General James Shields, the only man who served three states as 
senator, namely — Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri ; Col. E. D. 
Baker, afterwards senator from Oregon, the brilliant orator, the 
man who introduced Abraham Lincoln to the audience at Washing- 
ton after he was inaugurated, and who fell at the Battle of Balls 
Bluff, mortally wounded; O. H. Browning, cabinet officer and United 
States Senator ; both of the Logans, one the father of General John 
A. Logan; Col. John J. Hardin, the hero of the Battle of Buena 
Vista. These are among the men who entered public life at this 
time. Governor Duncan enjoys the distinction of being the only 
governor who was presented with a gold handled sword by Con- 
gress. This gift was a present from the Congress in the year 1835, 
in recognition of bravery on the part of Ensign Duncan in the War 
of 1812, at the defense of Fort Stephenson. 

Duncan was a soldier in the War of 1812, a state senator in 
1825, represented the state three times in Congress and was gov- 
ernor. He died at the age of fifty and on his death bed he called his 
friends to his bedside and left them this message : "My friends, let 
me beseech you to drop everything until you have made your peace 
with God. There is nothing in the pleasures of the world, there is 
nothing in the wealth of the world, there is nothing in the honors of 
the world, to compare with the love of the Saviour shed abroad in 
the human heart." With this message upon his lips, the life of 
Governor Duncan went out, and from the past this message comes 
down to us today as one of the brightest spots in the life story of 
one of Illinois' leaders in those early days of the thirties. It is a 
message that deserves to be classed in the same category with that 
great message of Abraham Lincoln, delivered from the back plat- 
form of a Wabash train, as he was leaving Springfield to assume the 
presidency. 



The State Capital Changed. 
In the third vear of the Duncan administration, the State Cap- 
ital was changed" from Vandalia to Springfield where a capitol 
building costing $240,000 was erected. The building is now the 
Sangamon County Court House. The erection of the present State 
Capitol building was begun in 1867 and completed in 1887. The 
total cost of construction and furnishing was a little in excess of 
$4,000,000. It is one of the tallest public buildings in use in the 
world. The murder of Lovejoy, the great anti-slavery leader and 
advocate of a free press, occurred at Alton in 1837, and stirred the 
commonwealth from center to circumference. 

Supreme Court Reorganized. 

Thomas Carlin followed Duncan as governor. During his ad- 
ministration the Supreme Court of the State was reorganized and 
five additional judges were appointed. The reorganization was the 
result of a partisan controversy that grew out of a difference of 
opinion on the question of suffrage of aliens. Stephen A. Douglas 
and Lyman Trumbull served as Secretary of the State under Carlin. 

Thomas Ford became governor of Illinois in 1842. The State 
was in financial chaos at that time due to a scheme of internal im- 
provements begun in 1837 and endorsed by the leading men of all 
parties at that time. Many of these improvements turned out to be 
monuments to folly. There were many who favored repudiation of 
the State's debt at this time and openly encouraged it. As Gov- 
ernor Coles led in the opposition to slavery, so Governor Ford led 
in the opposition to repudiation. He declared that the stigma of 
repudiation should never stain the fair name of Illinois while he was 
governor. He led the people along the hard road of financial em- 
barrassment and pointed the way out. His name deserves to be 
honored for his bold and courageous stand that saved the financial 
honor of the young State. The Mormon question was one of the 
difficulties that confronted the Ford administration and it was at 
this time that the Mormons decided to leave Illinois. 

Constitution of 1848. 

Governor French was the first governor to succeed himself, 
serving from 1846 to 1852. This was due to the fact that a new con- 
stitution was adopted in 1848 which cut the first term of Governor 
French short two years. In 18 18 he was re-elected for the four year 
term with little opposition. 

Newton Cloud, of Morgan County, was elected president of the 
second Constitutional Convention of the State of Illinois and the 
document is famous for its preamble, which was written by Judge 
Samuel D. Lockwood. This preamble has been re-written into the 
Constitution of 1870, and it is to be hoped that it will forever adorn 
the opening paragraph of any basic law that the people of the com- 
monwealth may adopt. 

The preamble reads as follows : 

"We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to Almighty 
God for the civil, political and religious liberty which He hath so long 



permitted us to enjoy and looking to Him for a blessing upon our 
endeavors to secure and transmit the same unimpaired to succeeding 
generations, in order to form a more perfect government, establish 
justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, 
promote the general welfare and secure the blessing of liberty to 
ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution 
for the State of Illinois." 

The act incorporating the Illinois Central Railroad was passed 
in 1851, which was during Governor French's administration. 

Joel A. Matteson was chosen governor in 1852. John Reynolds 
who had been governor, supreme court judge, and congressman, 
was elected speaker of the General Assembly. The Decatur Edi- 
torial Convention, called by Paul Selby of Jacksonville, and mark- 
ing the birth of the Republican party in Illinois, was held in 1856. The 
state debt was much reduced during the Matteson administration. 

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates. 

The year 1858 is a significant year in the history of Illinois, 
marking the period of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. This year wit- 
nessed the greatest forensic contest that has ever taken place in the 
history of Illinois. When these seven great debates, held at Ot- 
tawa, Freeport, Jonesboro, Charleston, Galesburg, Quincy and 
Alton had their beginning, the spotlight of popular favor played 
over the face of Stephen A. Douglas, but when they closed, the halo 
of light illuminated the rugged countenance of Abraham Lincoln. 
Three years later, when Douglas took his stand by the. side of Lin- 
coln, and held his silk hat and gold-headed cane, while Lincoln took 
the oath of office as President, the spotlight of popular favor again 
played over the faces of both Lincoln and Douglas, where it has re- 
mained from that day to this, destined to grow brighter with the 
years. 

These debates were held while William H. Bissell served the 
state as its chief executive. His administration marked the be- 
ginning of the control of the state government by the Republican 
party, which lasted for a period of thirty-six years, or until the ad- 
ministration of Governor Altgeld in 1893. Governor Bissell died 
during the last year of his term of office and Lieutenant Governor 
John Wood filled out the unexpired term. 

The Civil War Period. 

Richard Yates was the Civil War Governor of Illinois, and he 
proved himself to be one of the great war governors of the time. 
His prorogation of the General Assembly is a significant and unus- 
ual event in the political history of the State and Nation. He en- 
deared himself to the private soldier because of his solicitude for 
the welfare of the Illinois troops. He gave General Grant his first 
commission and his conduct was intensely loyal at all times. 

The Civil War history of Illinois stands out resplendent in the 
fact that the state furnished Abraham Lincoln, who saved the 
Union, and Ulysses S. Grant, who organized the Union Army into 
victory. 



10 

Illinois is credited with twelve major generals, namely : Grant, 
Logan, Oglesby, Palmer, McClernand, Schofield, Hurlbut, Grierson, 
Pope, Smith, Merritt and Prentiss; twenty brevet major generals and 
twenty-four brigadier generals. The State furnished 256,000 men for 
the defense of the Union, over fifteen per cent of its population. 
These were divided among 151 regiments of infantry, 17 of cavalry, 
2 of artillery and nine independent batteries. 

One of the gems of literature is Lincoln's Farewell Address, 
delivered in Springfield as he was leaving to assume the presidency. 
At that time he spoke these words : "My friends, no one, not in my 
situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To 
this place and the kindness of these people, I owe everything. Mere 
I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a youm; 
to an old man. Here my children have been born and one is buried. 
I now leave, not knowing when or whether ever I may return, with 
a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. 
Without the assistance of that Divine Being who ever attended 
him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance, I cannot fail. Trust- 
ing in Him who can go with me and remain with you, and be every- 
where for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To 
His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers yon will com- 
mend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell." 

Washington and Lincoln were two of the greatest characters 
that ever stood in the forefront of a nation's life. We would not detract 
one scintilla from their human greatness, but we like to think of them 
as being great because of the fact that they were in their supreme 
moments the resplendent reflection of that Greater Being, that 
Higher Power, by whom they w r ere guided and whose counsel they 
sought. 

Illinoisans will ever hold in memory the words of General Grant 
spoken at the close of the great internecine struggle, "let us have 
peace," and the World War has given us another four words to 
remember, those spoken by General Pershing at that tomb in France, 
"LaFayette here we are." 

Four songs were written by Illinois composers during the Civil 
War that became famous war songs. They were "Tramp, Tramp, 
Tramp, the Boys Are Marching," "The Battle Cry of Freedom," and 
"Just Before the Battle Mother," by Root and "Marching Through 
Georgia" by Work. "Illinois," by Chamberlain, is one of the best 
known of state songs. 

Loyal Women of Illinois. 
The loyal women of Illinois have ever been by their devotion 
and service an inspiration. The Civil War period gave marked evi- 
dence of their worth. Mother Bickerdyke of Galesburg, the Civil 
War nurse, in whose memory the State of Illinois has erected a 
monument costing $5,000, is one of the noblest examples of service 
and sacrifice that the annals of history records. Her achieve- 
ments were as unique as they were grand. She ranks with Clara 
Barton, Dorothy Dix, Florence Nightingale, in unselfish and heroic 
service. Mary A. Livermore, the only woman reporter present at 



11 

the Wigwam Convention which nominated Lincoln, was at the 
head of the western department of the Sanitary Commission, one of 
the great philanthropic agencies of the Civil War. Later Mrs. Liv- 
ermore became one of the great woman orators and lecturers of the 
country. No history of Illinois would be complete without the 
mention of the name of Frances Willard, the great temperance 
worker and leader. The State has placed a statue of Miss Willard 
in Statuary Hall at the National Capitol in Washington. 

Women of Illinois can take pride in the fact that the Ladies' 
Educational Society, organized in Jacksonville in the thirties, was 
the first organization of women, officered by women, not only in the 
United States but in the world. The women of Illinois have been 
and are today, doers whose deeds illuminate the story of the State. 

The Constitution of 1870. 

In 1870 Illinois adopted its third constitution, when seventy- 
five delegates elected by the people drafted a new basic law for the 
commonwealth. George Hitchcock, a prominent Chicago attorney, 
was elected president of this Constitutional Convention. The Con- 
vention met during the administration of John M. Palmer and, as 
governor, he assisted in framing the executive article of the Con- 
stitution, and his counsel and advice were frequently sought by the 
delegates. This Constitution has served well the purposes of the 
people of the State. The last legislature passed a resolution pro- 
posing the calling of another Constitutional Convention and the 
people will pass upon this proposition at the election to be held 
November 5th. 

In 1871 the great City of Chicago was visited by a most dis- 
astrous fire, which brought sorrow and suffering, and great financial 
loss to the metropolis of the West. The rapidity with which the 
people of the State, and other states, rallied to the support of the 
stricken inhabitants, was a splendid commentary upon the spirit of 
the people, and upon the ability of the people, to repair their shat- 
tered homes and their broken fortunes. 

World's Fair at Chicago. 

The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, held in Chicago, 
commemorating the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of 
America, will ever stand out not only as one of the great enter- 
prises in the history of Illinois, but as one of the greatest commemor- 
ative expositions that has ever been held in the history of the 
world. 

Illinois came into the Union as the twenty-first state, with an 
estimated population of forty thousand. Today the population 
numbers nearly six million and Illinois stands as the keystone state 
in the richest and most powerful nation on the globe. As a state 
it is one of the most level of the entire Union, and is one of the best 
watered, having- over two hundred and eighty-four water courses on 
its surface. In proportion to its area, which is 56,650 square miles, 
it has more land under cultivation than any other state. In 1917 
it led the Union among the states in the production of farm products- 



12 

Its great underground wealth, consisting principally of coal and 
oil, has contributed to its greatness from an industrial standpoint. 
But great as the state is, and has been, from a material standpoint, 
the wealth of Illinois is not confined to material things. It has given 
to the nation educators, philanthropists, statesmen, soldiers, and a 
citizenship that has adorned the pages of history throughout the 
decades. William Jennings Bryan enjoys the distinction of being 
the only native of Illinois ever nominated for the presidency. 

Land Grant College Bill. 

The Land Grant College Bill, the first Civil Rights Bill signed 
by Abraham Lincoln in 1862 and introduced in Congress by Justin 
S. Morrill was drawn by Jonathan Baldwin Turner, one of the found- 
ers of the University of Illinois, and whose outline for industrial and 
mechanical education upon which this bill was based, can be 
found in the proceedings of the Granville Convention, a convention 
of farmers held in Putnam County in 1851. The state Universities of 
the country owe their origin to the Land Grant College Bill. 

Newton Bateman, known as the Horace Mann of the West, was 
seven times superintendent of public instruction in the state of Ill- 
inois, and is known as the founder of our present public school sys- 
tem. His seven biennial reports have been translated into five for- 
eign languages. Bateman. the first time he ran for state superin- 
tendent, was opposed by two ex-governors, Governor French and 
Governor Reynolds. 

The collegiate history of Illinois is one of the great facts in its 
development, and within its territory are thirty-nine colleges, and 
five State normal schools. The first colleges to receive a charter were 
granted their rights in 1835 and three schools were chartered under 
this act, namely Illinois College, Shurtleff College and McKendree 
College. Illinois College was the first institution in the State to 
graduate a collegiate class which was in 1835. 

The railroad history of Illinois is without parallel in the Union 
and the state has the greatest railroad mileage of any of the forty- 
eight commonwealths. The railroad history of the state and the 
Mississippi Valley had its beginning in 1837, when a line was pro- 
jected east from the Illinois River at Meredosia, running through 
Jacksonville and terminating at Springfield. This was known as the 
Northern Cross Railroad. 

The first newspaper published in Illinois was the "Illinois 
Herald" published at Kaskaskia. Authorities differ as to the date 
of the first issue, but it was probably about 1814. The Herald was 
established by Matthew Duncan, a brother of Governor Duncan. 
The name was afterwards changed to The Intelligencer. The 
second paper was the Shawnee Chief, published at Shawneetown. 
The Sangamo Journal, now the "Illinois State Journal," the oldest 
paper of continuous existence in the State, published its first issue 
November 10, 1831. There are now published in Illinois 172 daily 
and 1,039 weekly newspapers. 



. 13 

Governors Since the Civil War. 

The mere mention of the names of the governors of Illinois 
since the Civil War is enough to attest to the great leadership that 
the people have had. The roll is a glorious one with Oglesby, 
Palmer, Beveridge, Cullom, Hamilton, Fifer, Altgeld, Tanner, 
Yates, Deneen, Dunne and Lowden. From Yates to Yates, the 
governors of Illinois have all been veterans of the Civil War with 
the exception of Shelby M. Cullom. History is repeating itself in 
Illinois in the Centennial Year. As in the crisis of the Civil War 
Douglas led a loyal following of Democrats to the support of Abra- 
ham Lincoln, a Republican president, so Governor Frank O. Low- 
den in the crisis of the World's War is safely leading a loyal fol- 
lowing of Republicans in support of President Wilson, a Democratic 
president, in the conflict that he has on his hands. This is as it 
should be. 

In 1861, Illinois gave to the nation its peerless leader, Abraham 
Lincoln, in 1918, Illinois joins with the nation in giving the world, 
Abraham Lincoln and the principles of Democracy for which he 
stood, and of which he was the great exponent. The state has al- 
ready furnished 280,000 men for the United States Army and thous- 
ands of others have registered for service. Its six million people 
stand ready to make any sacrifice, that may be necessary to support 
and strengthen this great force, to the end that victory may come 
to the Allied arms. 

Respect, Reverence and Gratitude. 

Ennobled by the thought of the sacrifice and service of the 
pioneers and great men of the past, who have led the state, Illinois 
is passing through its Centennial Year, conscious of the fact that 
"Patriotism is a blind and irrational impulse unless accompanied by 
a knowledge of the blessings that we enjoy and the privileges that 
we propose to defend." With respect, reverence and gratitude for 
the past, we come to the present, recognizing that upon the founda- 
tion of the Christian Church, the Christian College, the Christian 
Home and the Free School rest our power and the beneficence of 
our institutions. May Illinois begin her second century with new 
strength and new courage, and go forward with a spirit of enthus- 
iasm and confidence, that will lead in the pathway of real pro- 
gress, to greater heights of accomplishment and power in the days 
to come. 



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